Wire twisting machines



Dec. 11, 1962 N. s. DEAN ETAL WIRE TWISTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 9, 1961 y e n r m U m fl e A W W MDM$ mw L My 5MB mm W m Dec. 11, 1962 N. s. DEAN ETAL 3,057,781

WIRE TWISTING MACHINES Filed Jan. 9, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor NOEL SPENCf/P DEAN BRIAN J'Ol/A/ WARDLX M Attorney ilnited States Patent Ofifice 3,057,781 Patented Dec. 11, 1952 3,667,781 WIRE TWISTING MACHlNES Noel Spencer Bean, Orrell, Wigan, and Brian John Wardley, Liverpool, England, assignors to British Insulated Callenders Cables Limited, London, England, a British company Filed Jan. 9, 1961, Ser. No. 81,346 Claims priority, application Great Britain Jan. 13, 1960 7 Claims. (Cl. 140-149) This invention relates to a machine for withdrawing two or more bare or covered wires from a suitable supply or supplies, twisting the wires together to form a strand and then delivering the strand in substantially helical form to a suitable receiver, where it is accommodated as a plurality of superposed loops. The receiver may, for example, be a cylindrical walled container (which may or may not be of annular cross-section) or a pallet or other support. The term strand is here used in a broad sense as including any two or more bare or covered wires or groups of wires twisted together and does not imply any special arrangement of the wires or groups.

The machine in accordance with the invention comprises means for supporting a receiver for the strand beneath a device hereinafter referred to as a haul-01f device which draws the wires through the machine and delivers the strand downwards to the receiver in helical form, a guide for the wires which is rotated about a vertical axis (hereinafter referred to as the machine axis) around both the receiver and the haul-01f device and means for leading the wires substantially along the machine axis, through the rotating guide around the receiver and haul-off device and then substantially along the machine axis into the haul-off device, from where the wires fall downwards (as strand) in helical form around said axis to the receiver.

The path of the wires in the machine may thus be upwards substantially on the machine axis outwards beneath the receiver, upwards and then again inwards through the rotating guide and finally downwards into the haul-E device. Alternatively the wires may pass downwards substantially on the machine axis outwards above the haul-off device, downwards and then inwards through the rotating guide and then upwards, substantially along the machine axis, to the haul-off device. If the wires follow the latter path a receiver with a central bore or aperture must be used and the wires cut and re-threaded whenever the receiver is changed. For this reason the first mentioned path will generally be preferable.

An important advantage of the machine in accordance with the invention is that the receiver can remain stationary or at most needs to be rotated only slowly about its axis to give it a mean peripheral speed which is only a very small fraction of the linear speed of the wires through the haul-off device.

We prefer to use a haul-off device in accordance with co-pending application Serial No. 6896, filed February 5, 1960, of Harvey Burr and Brian J. Wardley which comprises a statinonary ring wall whose internal surface forms an endless track. a pulley which under operating conditions is driven along the track, and means for leading the wires substantially axially towards the centre of the track and then towards and on to that part of the peripheral surface of the pulley that is approaching the track. In this way as the pulley rolls along its track it momentarily traps between it and the track successive elemental lengths of the wires, thus drawing through the device with each complete circuit made by the pulley a length of strand corresponding to the length of the circuit, at the same time imparting a curvature to the strand. The axis of the track is the machine axis referred to above.

As the strand to the rear of the travelling pulley is released it falls away from the track substantially as an open helix to be collected by the receiver in the form of a series of superposed loops.

The machine in accordance with the invention, especially when incorporating a haul-off device in accordance with the above mentioned co-pending application, is especially suitable for use with a receiver in the form of a container of annular cross-section and we prefer to provide supporting means for such a container which is rotated either about the machine axis or about a vertical axis spaced a short distance from the machine axis. The speed of rotation of the container support will differ considerably from and will be low compared with the speed of rotation about the machine axis of said pulley incorporated in the haul-off device, when this is of the kind described in the above mentioned co-pending application.

The rotating guide for the wires, which leads the wires around the receiver and the haul-off device, rotates about the machine axis at an angular velocity such that the length of lay of the strand has the desired value. By virtue of the movement of the guide about the machine axis, the wires or groups of wires fed into the machine will be twisted together for each revolution of the guide. The haul-off device will twist the wires together once during the formation of each loop but this twist will normally be taken out of the strand as it is removed from the receiver and hence can be ignored. When the haul-off device is of the kind described in the above mentioned co-pending application the speed of rotation of the guide will normally be greater than the speed of rotation of the A machine in accordance with the invention will hereinafter be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the machine and FIGURE 2 is a front elevation of the machine.

The machine, which is designed for twinning insulated telephone wires, is mounted in an open fronted box shaped frame comprising a base 1, a back plate 2, a top plate 3 and two side plates 4 and 5. The path of the wires through the machine is shown dotted and marked A to H.

The machine is driven by a single electric motor 5 mounted on the back plate 2, the motor being coupled by a belt 7 to a vertical shaft 8 located in bearings in the base 1 and top plate 3. From the lower end of the shaft 8 a hollow spindle 9 is driven by a belt 10, the spindle 9 being vertically mounted in a bearing 11 secured to the base plate 1. A tube 12 that constitutes the lower member of the rotating guide projects from a boss 13 which is secured to the hollow spindle 9.

From the upper end of the shaft 8 a second hollow shaft 14 is driven by a belt 15, the shaft 14 being supported by a thrust bearing 16' mounted at the centre of a pinion 17. The pinion 17, which will hereinafter be referred to as the upper sun pinion is rigidly secured through members 18 to the top plate 3 of the machine frame. A disc 19 is secured to the hollow shaft 14 and this disc constitutes the upper member of the rotating guide and also carries two pairs of planet pinions 20, 21 and 22, 23, the upper pinions 20 and 22 meshing with the upper sun pinion 17 and the lower pinions 21 and 23 meshing with a similar sun pinion 24, the lower sun pinion.

The lower sun pinion 24 is supported on the lower end of the hollow shaft 14 by a second thrust bearing 25 and it carries on its lower surface a tubular casting 26 the lower part of which constitutes the ring wall and which at its lower edge carries a circular metal I track 27. Within the lower end of the tubular casting 26 is a flyer 28 which is free to rotate with respect to the member 26 on a hollow spindle 29. The flyer 28 is formed with a flange carrying two pulleys 30' and 31, of which only 31 is operational, 30 being a spare pulley balancing the pulley 31. The flyer is driven from the lower end of the hollow shaft 14 through a belt 32, a gear box 33, a belt 34, a shaft 35, and a belt 36. The shaft 35 is located in bearings in the lower sun pinion 24 and in a stationary platform 37 which is supported by a bearing 38 on the upper end of the hollow spindle 9. The shaft 35 also drives a support 39 for a hollow annular container 40 through bevel wheels 41, a belt 42 and a gear box 43.

The two insulated wires are fed into the machine horizontally around a pulley 44 mounted in the base 1 of the machine frame and during their passage through the machine along the path marked A to H are twisted together to form a strand and delivered in helical form into the annular container 40.

The wires enter the machine along parallel paths A and pass, over the pulley 44 mounted in the base plate 1, vertically upwards through the hollow spindle 9 along the path B. From a pulley 45, mounted inside the boss 13, they pass horizontally along a path C through the lower guide member 12, around a pulley 46- and then vertically upwards along the path D through a vertical guide member 47 carried between the lower guide member 12 and the disc 19, which forms the upper guide member. They pass over a pulley 48 horizontally along the path E to a pulley 49 mounted in the hollow shaft 14. From the pulley 49 the wires pass downwards along a path F through the hollow shaft 14 into the hollow spindle 29, over a pulley 50 carried in the flyer 28 and along the path G on to the part of the periphery of the pulley 31 which is approaching the track 27. The wires are twisted together to form a strand during their passage through the rotating guide constituted by the parts 12, 13, 19 and 45-49, one twist per revolution of the guide being'imparted during the change of direction caused by the pulley 45 and another twist per revolution during the change of direction caused by the pulley 4-9. The wires finally pass as strand between the pulley 31 and the track 27, through a tubular guide 51 from which the strand falls as a helix along the path H into the container 40. The parts 26-61, 50 and 51 form the haul-off device.

The two wire are drawn through the machine by the rolling action of the pulley 31 on the track 27 and the relationship between the speed at which the wires are drawn through the machine and the angular velocity at which the rotating guide constituted by the upper and lower members 12 and 19 and the vertical member 47 rotates around the haul-otf device and the container is so regulated by the gear box 33 that the wires are twisted together with the desired lay. Since the length of lay 4 required will normally be much shorter than the circumference of the coils formed in the container, the guide will normally rotate much faster than the fiyer 28.

Also the ratio of the gear box 43 is so adjusted as to cause the support 38 for the container to rotate at a speed which is low compared with the speed of rotation of the flyer 28, whereby the strand is evenly distributed in the container 40.

The platform 37 on which the gear box 43 is carried is attached by vertical members 52 to the lower sun pinion 24 and hence is held stationary since the lower sun pinion 24 itself is held stationary by the action of the planet pinions 2l23 by which it is coupled to the stationary upper sun pinion 17.

To assist even distribution of the strand the container rotates about an axis which is offset from the common axis of the hollow spindles 9 and 29 and the hollow shaft 14.

Instead of using spur wheels as the sun wheels, these wheels may have toothed tracks on their facing surfaces and the lower sun wheel be held stationary by one or more pairs of meshing pinions carried by the horizontal guide members, one pinion of each pair being driven by a toothed wheel, e.g. a bevel wheel, running on the track of the upper sun wheel and the other being driven by a toothed wheel running on the track of the lower sun wheel.

Instead of a meshing gear coupling, other forms of coupling can be used to hold the outer casing of the haul-off device stationary, for example systems involving positive drive belts or chains or chain wheels. A magnetic coupling can also be used comprising, for example, fixed magnets mounted above the upper horizontal guide and an armature or armatures mounted on the top of the casing below the guide, which would then have to be of non-magnetic material. Other dispositions of the magnets and armature are possible.

The platform 39 for the container may be, or may be mounted on, the upper wheel of a pair of parallel sun wheels similar to those (17 and 24) used for supporting the haul-oil device. In this case the lower wheel is secured to the frame of the machine and pairs of planet pinions (equivalent to 20--23) are carried on suitable arms projecting from the boss 13 carrying the lower horizontal guide member. The platform can then directly support the container and if the container is required to rotate, the dimensions of the two sun wheels and of the planet wheels are suitably chosen to give the upper sun wheel the desired low speed of rotation relative to that of the rotating guide.

The last mentioned method of mounting the platform has the advantage that no coupling between the haul-off device and the platform, other than the common drive for the upper and lower horizontal members of the Wire guide, is required.

What we claim as our invention is:

l. A machine for withdrawing at least two wires from a supply or supplies, twisting the wires together to form a strand, and then delivering the strand in a helical form to a receiver, where it is accommodated as a plurality of superposed loops, comprising a haul-off device which draws the wires through the machine and comprises a stationary ring wall whose internal surface forms an endless track, a pulley, means for driving the pulley along the track, and means for leading the wires substantially axially towards the centre of the track and then onto that part of the peripheral surface of the pulley that is approaching the track, whereby as the pulley rolls along the track it draws the wires, as strand, through the device and delivers the strand downwards to the receiver in helical form around the vertical axis of the machine, means for supporting the receiver beneath the haul-off device, a guide for leading the wires around both the receiver and the haul-off device, means for rotating the guide about the machine axis and means for leading the wires substantially along the machine axis, through the rotating guide and then substantially along the machine axis into the haul-off device, from where the wires fall, as strand, downwards in helical form to the receiver.

2. A machine for withdrawing at least two wires from a supply or supplies, twisting the wires together to form a strand and then delivering the strand in a helical form to a receiver in the form of a container of annular crosssection, where it is accommodated as a plurality of superposed loops, comprising a haul-off device which draws the wires through the machine and comprises a stationary ring wall whose internal surface forms an endless track, a pulley, means for driving the pulley along the track, and means for leading the wires substantially axially towards the centre of the track and then onto that part of the peripheral surface of the pulley that is approaching the track, whereby as the pulley rolls along the track it draws the wires, as strand, through the device and delivers the strand downwards to the container in helical form about the vertical axis of the machine, means for supporting the container beneath the haul-ofi device, a guide for leading the wires around both the container and the haul-off device, means for rotating the guide about the machine axis, means for leading the wires substantially along the machine axis, through the rotating guide around the container and haul-off device and then substantially along the machine aXis into the haul-off device, from where the wires fall, as strand, downwards in helical form to the container, and means for rotating the container support about a vertical axis spaced from the machine axis at a speed which is low compared with the speed of rotation of said pulley about the ring wall axis.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 2 in which the axis of the ring wall coincides with the machine axis.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for driving the pulley along the track and the means for rotating the guide about the machine axis are coupled in such a way that the guide rotates at a speed higher than the speed of rotation of the pulley about the ring wall axls.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 2 in which the means for driving the pulley along the track and the means for rotating the guide about the machine axis are coupled in such a way that the guide rotates at a speed higher than the speed of rotation of the pulley about the ring wall axis.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the rotating guide comprises a lower member rotating about a pedestal on which the receiver is supported, an upper member rotating about a spindle on which the haul-off device is suspended, and a substantially vertical member interconnecting said upper and lower members, and the upper member carries at least one pair of interconnected planet gear wheels which mesh with a pair of sun gear wheels, coaxial with the machine axis, one attached to the machine frame above the upper member and the other attached to the haul-off device below the upper member, whereby rotation of at least part of the haul-01f device about the machine axis is restrained.

7. A machine for withdrawing at least two wires from a supply or supplies, twisting the wires together to form a strand, and then delivering the strand in a helical form to a receiver, where it is accommodated as a plurality of superposed loops, comprising a haul-oil device which draws the wires through the machine and delivers the wires, as strand, downwards to the receiver in a helical form around the vertical axis of the machine, means for supporting the receiver beneath the hauloif device, a guide for leading the wires around both the receiver and the haul-off device, means for rotating the guide about the machine axis, and means for leading the wires upwards beneath the receiver substantially along the machine axis, into the rotating guide which leads them outwards from beneath the receiver, upwards and then inwards, and means for leading them downwards into the haul-0E device from where they fall, as strand, downwards in helical form to the receiver, the rotating guide comprising a lower member rotating about a pedestal on which the receiver is supported, an upper member rotating about a spindle on which the haul-0E device is suspended, and a substantially vertical member interconnecting said upper and lower members, and the upper member carrying at least one pair of interconnected planet gear wheels which mesh with a pair of sun gear wheels, coaxial with the machine axis, one attached to the machine frame above the upper member and the other attached to the haul-off device below the upper member, whereby rotation of at least part of the haul-01f device about the machine axis is restrained.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 723,178 Norman Mar. 17, 1903 2,773,344- Van Hook Dec. 11, 1956 2,833,329 De Poy May 6, 1958 2,940,337 Kalb June 14, 1960 2,944,380 Klapper et a1 July 12, 1960 

